All of us at the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce would like to thank you for your support for the past year. We look forward to working with you again in 2011 and wish you a happy holiday and wonderful New Year.

As we are marching into the second decade in the new millennium, I would like to share with you the new direction of our organization.

To position USCCC for the next decade, USCCC will expand its reach by focusing on helping U.S. companies to sell and license their products to China; attracting Chinese investors to the U.S.; seeking new strategic alliances with a number of organizations; and enhancing communications with its membership. Here are some of the new initiatives, most of which will be instituted in the beginning of 2011:

• USCCC will open an office in Detroit to focus on the auto industry.
• USCCC will expand its activities geographically with a focus on the south in the U.S. and second- and third-tier cities in China. Last year, USCCC signed co-operative agreements with Changzhou and Xiaoshan, and it is in the process of entering agreements with other regional governments which may include Guangxi and Guizhou. In addition, USCCC will strengthen its representation in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. It will foster a closer working relationship with Shanghai Foreign Economic and Trade Investment Company.
• USCCC will allocate more resources to its Women Executives Committee to launch its inaugural event next spring.
• USCCC will soon finalize an agreement with China Daily USA. The agreement may include complimentary 26-week trial subscriptions to its constituents; joint studies and surveys to track inbound investments; and solicitation of USCCC members to contribute articles to the newspaper. A recent article, which might be of interest to you, is hereby enclosed. USCCC is also in the process of working with Manufacturers’ News to initiate programs to help U.S. manufacturers to stay competitive; these may include webinars, surveys, and focus groups.
• As an inclusive organization, USCCC will continue to expand its strategic alliances with other countries and organizations including Asia Society, KOTRA (Korea), German American Chamber of Commerce, Vietnam, and others.
• USCCC will become active through Social Networking. A new blog at http://www.usccc.blogspot.com will enable USCCC and the membership to report and comment on current events. It will also launch on Facebook, Twitter, and other tools.
• China Alert will now appear regularly under new editor Philip Wong.
• USCCC will be more involved directly in business transactions between the U.S. and China. Whenever we travel to China, we will strive to meet with our members and attend their meetings whenever possible. The travel itinerary will be available on our website www.usccc.org, blog, and other social networking tools.
• Our membership benefits will expand. These will include discounts to programs; limited free Chinese visa service; limited free business card translation; free trial subscriptions to China Daily USA; Annual U.S.-China Trade Conference CD (Corporate Sponsor Only); access to certain presentations made in our programs; limited free advisory services; invitations to contribute articles for publication; and invitations to certain events.

We understand that this agenda is ambitious, and USCCC is a relatively small organization with limited resources. However, with your support and the advent of technology, we believe that we should be able to achieve most of goals. I urge you to be more involved with our organization. Come to our events; send me news about your activities with regard to China; and participate in our surveys. I also encourage you to consider a membership with USCCC if you are currently not a member. Meanwhile, if you contact me with any questions you might have, I would consider it a personal privilege.

Have a nice holiday!

Siva Yam